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Recent Posts
Monthly Archives: November 2009
Skeptic Magazine on the Large Hadron Collider and Black Holes
Skeptic magazine recently had a rather thorough (and I thought disturbing) article on the Large Hadron Collider and scientific opinion concerning its safety. Here’s a quote from the article: [I]n a recent version of the safety of the LHC posted … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged astronomy, black holes, critical thinkng, End Times, large hadron collider, physics, reason, science
1 Comment
Go with Throttle Up? Skeptic Magazine on the Large Hadron Collider
In reading my most recent dead tree edition of Skeptic magazine, I noticed that there were two articles on the Large Hadron Collider and the potential catastrophic effects that could come from bringing it up to full power (black holes eating the Earth, etc). … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged atheism, atheist, black holes, higgs boson, large hadron collider, Michael Shermer, physics, science, skeptic magazine
1 Comment
Is Evolution Full of Gaping Explanatory Holes? And Does It Function as an Ideology?
I think that these two questions, when answered with two yeses, represent the thrust of what Intelligent Design proponents are up to in their critiques of evolution, as William Dembski recently (and concisely) stated at his blog: The theory [of evolution] purports … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged agnostic, atheism, atheist, biology, Charles Darwin, creationism, evolution, intelligent design, jerry coyne, science, william dembski
7 Comments
Bill O’Reilly’s War on Christmas (Yawn)
It’s November, and that means that, as we move ever closer to December and Christmas, that it’s once again time for the annual running of the bull, as in Bill O’Reilly, who will once again entertain us all by engaging godless secular … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged atheist, Bill O'Reilly, Christmas, Fox News, frosty the snowman, God, happy holidays, James Dobson, Jesus, merry christmas, santa, the circus
4 Comments
AC Grayling: For University Students, Stop the Hand-Holding?
In today’s Guardian, philosopher AC Grayling offers his view of the role of a university education: University is emphatically not about spoon-feeding and hand-holding through courses, but the very opposite. It is not about maximising contact hours, but about autonomy … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged AC Grayling, Antigone, books, college, education, life, Oedipus, reason, the life of the mind, university
1 Comment
Camille Paglia on Richard Dawkins
Today in Salon, Camille Paglia, an atheist who obviously hasn’t been paying much serious attention to the post 9/11 New Atheist movement, stumbled upon Richard Dawkins talking about religion on NPR, and having never heard his voice before, she thought he sounded a … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, atheist, Camille Paglia, confidence atheism, God, jerry coyne, Jesus, New Atheists, PZ Myers, religion, Richard Dawkins
2 Comments
Peak Oil?
The Guardian today appears to have a big news scoop: The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged banking, cars, ecology, economy, energy, environment, gas prices, inflation, oil, Peak Oil, recession, wall street
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A 2012 Prophecy: Suicides Will Accompany the Advent of December 21, 2012
It’s not a nice thought, but this is an easy prophecy to make. And it’s the singular prophecy surrounding December 21, 2012 that will almost surely come to pass. Perhaps you remember Heaven’s Gate. Heaven’s Gate was a San Diego based cult whose … Continue reading
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Tagged 2012, atheist, conspiracy theories, December 21, End Times, New Age, predictions, prophecy, rush limbaugh, science, suicide, the second coming
9 Comments
Here’s a Link to Mark Twain’s “The War Prayer”
In case you’re interested.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged gandhi, God, mark twain, nonviolence, peace, Politics, religion, the military, violence, war
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Ethics and War in a Secular Age
Decoupling religion from war is not an easy thing. The poet Stephen Spender, in reflecting upon World War II, wrote these lines (in his poem, “Rejoice in the Abyss”): Against an acrid cloud of dust, I saw The houses kneel, … Continue reading
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Tagged agnostic, agnosticism, atheism, atheist, charled darwin, Darwinism, evolution, peace, secularism, selfish genes, war
1 Comment
H1N1: Yet Another Good Reason to Get Your Flu Shot
At around 6 pm this evening, I listened to a radio host at KFI, the largest radio station in Los Angeles, do a segment on swine flu. The host has a four year old daughter, and he noted that medical researchers … Continue reading
Michael Ruse, an Atheist, on Why He Hasn’t Signed Up with the New Atheists (or Confidence Atheists)
Daniel Dennett. PZ Myers. Richard Dawkins. Jerry Coyne. Philosopher Michael Ruse is an atheist too. But don’t sign him up with the above confidence atheists. Why? Here’s one reason that he gave in a recent essay in the UK’s Guardian: [H]ow … Continue reading
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Tagged agnostic, agnosticism, atheism, atheist, Daniel Dennett, God, jerry coyne, michael ruse, philosophy, PZ Myers, religion, Richard Dawkins
1 Comment
Selfish Leaves: Why Do Maple Trees Rush to Such Vivid Reds in Autumn?
Not for human pleasure. Think Darwin. The Washington Post today on the subject: There are two contending ideas. One is that the red pigments are somehow involved in a Dunkirk-like operation mounted each fall in which the tree salvages useful chemical … Continue reading
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Tagged autumn, Darwin, death, evolution, fall, God, life, maple leaves, poems, poetry, red, telos
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Is Strict Evolutionary Naturalism Primarily a Scientific or a Philosophical Idea?
Those who follow this blog know what I think about this (strict evolutionary naturalism is primarily a philosophical position), but Phillip Johnson and William Provine debated the issue back in 1994 at Stanford University, and I think the exchange is … Continue reading
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Tagged biology, Darwinism, evolution, Genesis, intelligent design, phillip johnson, science, william provine
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Ezra Pound’s Poem, “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter”
Ezra Pound wrote this poem in 1915 (which he described as “after Rihaku”): While my hair was still cut straight across my forehead I played about the front gate, pulling flowers. You came by on bamboo stilts, playing horse, You … Continue reading
